The Story Behind The Brown Butter Rye Old Fashioned

When it comes to the holidays, butter makes everything better — from mashed potatoes and fluffy dinner rolls to cookies and pie crust. And according to Ricardo Rodriguez, bar manager at Lita restaurant and La Otra bar in Aberdeen, N.J., even cocktails deserve the butter treatment come wintertime.

In this creation, the classic Old Fashioned gets an extra boost of seasonal flavor. Rodriguez’s version swaps out the typical bourbon for a spicy rye and injects the spirit with an extra-indulgent brown butter note. Though preparing the housemade brown butter rye ahead of time adds some extra legwork, it’s well worth it to give the drink a rich holiday feel.

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces Brown Butter Rye*
  • 1 bar spoon of real maple syrup
  • 2 dashes orange bitters
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  • Garnish: orange twist

Directions

  1. Add all ingredients in a mixing tin with ice and stir until chilled.
  2. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
  3. Garnish with an orange twist.

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Updated: 2024-12-19

Brown Butter Rye Ingredients

  • 8 ounces unsalted butter
  • 4 cups high-proof rye

Brown Butter Rye Directions

  1. Slowly brown the unsalted butter in a saucepan until well toasted with a nutty aroma.
  2. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
  3. Pour a high-proof rye into a plastic container and gently stir in the brown butter.
  4. Leave the mixture uncovered until completely cool and the butter has become firm and risen to the top of the container.
  5. Freeze the mixture overnight.
  6. The next day skim off the hardened butter, then strain liquid through cheesecloth to remove all remaining solids.
  7. Cover with a lid, label, and date. The remaining liquid will keep for a few weeks.
Brown Butter Rye Old Fashioned